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Humans
Humans are one of several sentient races placed on Aethras by its gods. They were specifically created by the god Jannis. They are the most evenly spread out race on Aethras. Characteristics As self-explanatory as most of this is, Humans are sentient bipeds created by Jannis. They resemble Humans of our world in every conceivable way other than the fact that they have a maximum life expectancy in the range of 135-140 years. Humans have varying characteristics based upon where Jannis placed them during creation. These variations match up to real-world counterparts fairly well, but there are exceptions. Creation The Beginning Shortly after his sister Yurel had finished her Elves, Jannis decided to finally create children of his own. Despite the recommendations of Yurel, Jannis chose to craft his children from the leftover stardust floating around the planet since the creation of the universe. Malleable and full of potential, Jannis thought it to be the perfect medium for his creation. Unlike Yurel, he created children of various colors and features and afterwards proceeded to place them all throughout Aethras, on nearly every continent. Curious to see how his children would develop in different environments, he left them only with a set of eight tenets. The Eight Tenets Help those who need it. Teach those who have much to learn. Admit your mistakes and grow from them. Do not raise your hand against your fellow man without thought. Do not suppress your feelings. Be honest, with others and with yourself. Murder, theft, and lying is acceptable only when the alternative is your death. Death is a part of life. Do not defy it its limits. His Departure Shortly after giving each group of Humans his Eight Tenets, Jannis left them be, spending his final years creating filling the world with the animals of the forests and the fish of the rivers and seas. In the years following his departure, each of the factions of Humans created their own forms of religions surrounding Jannis and his Eight Tenets. The Various Factions of Humans The Fayeeri Originally settling in the forests that would eventually become known as Qimyar, the Fayeeri are a faction of dark-skinned Humans that formed a tribal nation. Original Fayeeri society was centered around connection to the natural world, and Jannis' Tenets were funneled through this as well. This led to the creation of the Path, a religious society whose membership consisted of druids and whose function was to preserve Aethras itself. The Fayeeri were pushed out of their ancestral forest home by the sudden arrival of the Elves in Malthus. Although many Fayeeri welcomed the immigrants, these new Elves, the Frey'niri (or Forest Elves) as they were being called, seemed intent on taking the forest nation for themselves. They easily overpowered the pacifistic Humans and pushed them into northern Kumordas, a barren wasteland that surely could not support their population. Some of these Frey'niri attempted to ally with the Fayeeri and learned their ways of Druidism, eventually becoming the Swyr'niri (or Swamp Elves). Using the knowledge of their few Elven allies and combining it with their own, the Fayeeri managed to terraform the lands of northern Kumordas. Several hundred years passed, and the Frey'niri grew envious of this bountiful land to the west and waged another war against the Fayeeri to claim it. This time, however, the Fayeeri were backed by their new Orcish allies to the south, Desh'niri (Desert Elves) supporters from the Forgotten Stretch, and Swyr'niri allies within Qimyar. The war remained at a stalemate for years until armies of Humans from Janland, Jyotia, and Imperia arrived to defeat the Frey'niri. The Fayeeri Alliance won the war a few years after it received this backup, resulting in the formation of the kingdom of Fayeer, which is ruled even to this day by a Human of any of the nations of the Alliance, picked via a ceremony by Jannis himself. Because of this, Fayeeri society today is a combination of all of the Human cultures that helped to create it. (The Fayeeri people physically resemble people of African origin.) The Janlish Residents of the eastern half of Skjern known as Janland, the Janlish are fair-skinned Humans who formed a strong militaristic kingdom. Janlish people are the most xenophobic of the Humans, suffering great losses at the hands of the Giants to the west and the Frey'niri during the Fayeerin War. They originally founded the Order of Jannis, a religion under Jannis that took a more voluntary approach to the Eight Tenets. Only dedicated monks actively worshiped him, with normal citizens just trying to do their best to follow the Tenets. Starting in about 400 P.V. however, the citizens of Janland began following the Bulwark of Light, causing the Order of Jannis to wane in relevance in the more recent years. Jannis placed these Humans on Skjern in the hopes that they would control the entire continent, but when his sister Krann created the Giants on the western coast, war with the intimidating race was inevitable. The Janlish Humans were able to hold the Giants at bay, creating a wall across the thin isthmus that connects the western and eastern halves of the continent. Skirmishes have broken out between the two races since their main conflict ended, but the two factions remain at relative peace. Since their arrival on the continent, the Janlish Humans have been at odds with all manner of Fae, mysterious beings of unknown origin and various appearances, and the Depraved, a general name for all of the Undead that reside in Skjern. Humans occasionally create relationships and bear offspring with the Fae, but these relationships are frowned upon and if discovered, children born of these relationships are exiled from society. While the Fae are looked at with ambiguity and distrust, the Depraved are looked at with utter contempt. The Janlish view the mere existence of Undead as blasphemy and a direct betrayal of Jannis' final Tenet concerning the unnatural prolonging of life. They feel that these Undead are depraving themselves of Jannis' light and that only in death by holy light may they be released from this curse. Obviously, the Depraved are not so keen on all being eliminated, so factions of them have come at odds with the Janlish Paladins several times over the years and are no longer allowed in cities. This had led to the creation of the Cult of the Black Sun, a large faction of all manner of Undead that fight for the freedom of their kind. Preparing for a potential war from all sides, the people of Janland are slow to trust all outsiders. The only city that is open to citizens of all types is Jomarn, a haven of business and creativity in the country. (The Janlish people physically resemble people of Scandinavian or Irish origin.) The Sannish and Imperians On the continent of Santierra, the only sentient race were the Humans, so naturally, they eventually began fighting one another. Around a third of the Humans placed in Santierra were forced from the lush, green forests on the eastern half of the continent, past the plains in its center, and through the mountains to the west coast, stranding them in a large desert. Their supplies dwindling, these Humans headed north, looking for natural resources. They ran into a group of Fayeeri Druids on a vision quest who assisted them in cultivating the desert land and finding out how to get the most out of it. Forming buildings out of clay and stone, these Humans, the Sannish people managed to form a society in the Harenam Desert. Because of the influence of the Fayeeri Druids, the Sannish also follow the teachings of the Path. Centuries passed and during the rule of Queen Vicenia of Imperia, the Imperians and Sannish managed to come to a truce, and the Sannish people were allowed to renter their ancestral homeland. Resentment still exists among the Sannish people, a wish for things to be made even, but among many, the flames of hatred have gone cold. (The Sannish people physically resemble those of Native American or Latin American origin.) On the other side of this war were the Imperians. Shortly after chasing out the Humans that would become known as the Sannish, the Imperians began tearing away at the plentiful natural resources within Santierra and began building the city-nation of Imperira, the colossal metropolis that would become the seat of an empire. The Imperians formed the Bulwark of Light, a strict religion that went beyond simply the teachings of the Eight Tenets and formed its own ideals on life and morals. Most citizens were active worshipers of the Bulwark, but only select people became members of the Bulwark, dedicating their lives to the cause and becoming either Paladins or Clerics in the process. As soon as ships that could withstand the seas were built, they were used to spread the word of the Bulwark to other countries and now it exists as the single largest religion on Aethras. Imperia is the wealthiest nation in the world, mostly due to the fact that it is effectively a single city, albeit one nearly half the size of Fayeer. The city-nation is the world's seat of commerce, and any trade ship worth its gold sails past its docks at least once in its life. Many of the citizens are traders or merchants of some kind, but many more seek to either become a member of the Bulwark or a fighter in the city's many gladiatorial arenas. Imperia has the strongest standing military in the world, so all of the other nations generally bend to its will; not technically being ruled by the city-nation but not willing to defy it in any way either. (The Imperian people physically resemble people of Italian or Greek origin) The Jyotian Far to the south of Santierra and around the planet's equator, the collection of islands that make up Jyotia rest and upon them live the Jyotian Humans. Like in Santierra, the Humans here were the only sentient race placed here by the gods, but unlike Santierra, these Humans did not wage war against one another. Jyotia's poor amount of natural resources and position near a constant stream of torrential storms forced the Humans here into a strong alliance to survive. This Obsidian Alliance is the longest standing alliance in the history of Aethras. The Jyotians forged the religion of the World's Flame. This strict religion is mandatory for anyone seeking permanent residence in Jyotia because it helps to ensure the preservation of Jyotian society. Citizens who stray from the World's Flame are imprisoned and reeducated. The Bulwark of Light has a weak presence in Jyotia as the Flame's Inquisitors do not appreciate the presence of another religious militaristic force in their territory. There are however a few Bulwark temple scattered throughout Jyotia's islands. During the Fayeerin War, many citizens of Jyotia volunteered to assist their foreign cousins. Most of those who survived stayed in Fayeer to help rebuild, many of them taking new last names after the new and exciting plants that they came into contact to in Fayeer. These Jyotians have been labeled blood-traitors by those still living under the Obsidian Alliance. (The Jyotian people resemble those of Indian origin.) The Shinbeauxese The final group of Humans placed on Aethras were placed in East Malthus and eventually became known as the Shinbeauxese. Originally a open society that welcomed the world's cultures and religions, Shinbeaux has recently dug a massive trench between itself and the rest of Malthus and guards it with several hundred troops, as if preparing for some attack. Several smaller societies of Shinbeauxese people still live beyond this trench, mostly south of Qimyar, near the Void Plains. Other than them, the only Shinbeauxese people ever seen are those that somehow manage to escape the confines of their country. The religion created by the Shinbeauxese is the Advent of the Astral Dragon, a religion that essentially ignores the Eight Tenets and instead focuses on creating a beautiful society to welcome Jannis back to if he returns at some point. Bulwark missionaries visited Shinbeaux before the trench was dug and a majority of its population now falls under the flag of the Bulwark with only wealthy aristocrats still practicing the Advent. The only outsiders allowed in the country and the only citizens allowed to leave legally are higher up members of the Bulwark and only for religious matters. (The Shinbeauxese people resemble those of Japanese origin, with the citizens that lived outside the trench resembling those of other Asian countries.)